EDITORIAL: Halifax Metro Centre is the city's heart

In Washington, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is where all the action is. In Halifax, it happens to be 1800 Argyle Street.

At that official address, you’ll glimpse no commander-in-chief ducking in and out of his domicile. Nonetheless, over the past three and a half decades, many a famous act, including ex-president Bill Clinton, has headlined at the Halifax Metro Centre. Sports greats and entertainment legends have all showcased their stuff, and various industries have displayed their wares there. So have premiers-to-be, whose crowning moments at political conventions were played out in this arena.

In short, the Metro Centre, which occupies a city block between Argyle and Brunswick streets alongside the World Trade and Convention Centre, has become the mecca of the downtown — the magnet for a range of activities, the backdrop for many a fond memory, and the focal point for history in the making.

The latter rings especially true for today’s hockey fans. To them, the Metro Centre is first and foremost the home of the Mooseheads, who are having a phenomenal season.

For the first time ever, the team has clinched first place overall in the Q league. It has set a new franchise record for the most wins in a season. In Jonathan Drouin (No. 27), it has the league’s top scorer and playmaker, as the video above attests. (If you're on an iOS device, you can see the video here: http://thech.ca/XaHqTY)

After he and homegrown sensation Nathan MacKinnon graduate to the NHL, fans will long reflect on what a privilege it was to have seen them light up the Metro Centre scoreboard in the early days of their careers.

On the attendance front, the Mooseheads are also setting records. Weekend games are regularly drawing more than 8,000 fans and the 10,595-seat arena has even been full to the brim at times. This is certainly the most fitting gift for the Metro Centre’s 35th anniversary.

The arena officially opened in February 1978, a year and a half after the Queen presided over the ground-breaking ceremony. It’s almost unthinkable now, but at the time, the plan to locate the Metro Centre downtown — as opposed to on the outskirts of Halifax — was quite controversial. More than 5,000 events and 15 million visitors later, the decision to build on the site of the former Moirs chocolate factory — at then premier Gerald Regan’s insistence — has proved unassailable.

Without the Metro Centre as its beating heart, downtown Halifax would be devoid of life and ambience today. Instead, it is experiencing a resurgence of vitality.